1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electric conductor that includes a plurality of electric conductor wires and an insulating coat formed on outer peripheral surfaces of the electric conductor wires, and to a rotating electric machine that includes a coil formed of the electric conductor.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent No. 5242897B2 discloses a rotating electric machine for a vehicle. The rotating electric machine includes a stator coil formed of an electric conductor. The electric conductor includes a pair of electric conductor wires (or sub-electric conductors) and an insulating coat. The electric conductor wires each have a rectangular cross section and are arranged in alignment with each other in an alignment direction; the alignment direction is perpendicular to the shorter sides of the rectangular cross-sections of the electric conductor wires. The insulating coat is formed on outer peripheral surfaces of the electric conductor wires. Moreover, the insulating coat is also formed between the electric conductor wires. The electric conductor is bent into a predetermined shape and received in slots of a stator core of the rotating electric machine.
In bending the electric conductor, the electric conductor wires constituting the electric conductor are bent at different radii of curvature. Consequently, the electric conductor wires are displaced in different directions to become separated in the vicinities of bent parts of the electric conductor wires. As a result, the size of the stator coil formed of the electric conductor is increased in the vicinities of the bent parts, thereby increasing the size of the entire rotating electric machine.